How far did the Womens Liberation Movement impact British Society

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Introduction

ï»¿How far did the Women’s Liberation Movement impact British Society? Life for women during WWII was very difficuilt women had to work in war factories to create war materials. From the source “Atschool.eduweb.co.uk/nettsch/time/wlife.html” 75000 women joined the land army in Britain to help grow more food, also in 1941 women between the age of 19-30 had to register for war work Women who joined the forces were mostly secretaries, drivers, cooks and mechanics. Women played an extremely vital part in the country’s success in World War Two. The Majority of women decided that they would work in a factory. They worked in all manner of production ranging from making ammunition to uniforms to aeroplanes. The hours they worked were long and some women had to move to where the factories were. Those who moved away were paid more.www.historylearningsite.co.uk/womenww2 This source tells us that more skilled women could earn £2.15 a week. To these women that amount of money may have seemed a lot but little did they know that men doing the exact same job as them were paid more. ...read more.

Middle

Unless the structure of society was changed, the movement argued that women would continue to be crippled. In the 1960?s, the idea that women were subordinate to men and that their place in life was as a mother, wife, and homemaker outraged members of the women?s movement. There were various events that occurred during the women?s liberation movement during the years 1960-1970. The equal pay act being one of them https://segue.atlas.uiuc.edu/index.php?&action=site&site=aoconne2&section=318&page=1012&story=557&detail=557 ;women began their first step to exclaim their views dramatically by a protest in 1968, Dagenham. It was a strike that led to Equal Pay for woman. The goal of the movement was to remove the general discrimination against women, this included inequalities such as differences in pay between both the male and female genders as well as the stereotypical view of women in society. http://www.londonmet.ac.uk/thewomenslibrary/aboutthecollections/source-notes/sources-liberation.cfm , this source shows us two cartoon images that may have been used as propaganda to persuade women to join their liberation and support them in getting change. Fortunately, by 1970s, the attitude towards women working had begun to change since it was now far more socially accepted for women to return to work after having children. ...read more.

Conclusion

and exceptional role model as most girls wanted to be like her they wanted to have the same appearance and look as her; they even went to the extent of going on diets to slim down as stated by Sandra in the book ?Britain In The 1970?s? by Michael Hodges ?Twiggy made the ?skinny look? fashionable. We all had to go on crash diets to slim down.? Fashion started breaking down social/class barriers for other women, who also started wearing mini-skirts. Ultimately the women?s liberation was a huge success in a way as it gained equality for women in all aspects from birth control to education to fashion and equal pay. Women were no longer made to feel restricted and oppressed as they could take on careers that their mothers may not have been able to do. On the other hand not all women used birth control, not all women even wore miniskirts; in fact not all women even protested as they were comfortable and satisfied in being house wives. However credit must be given to the women that helped in these changes being made and there is yet more that women still have to achieve towards gaining equality even today. ...read more.

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